Where there's smoke, there's fire
by countrypanther14
Summary: AU: In order to protect her son, Ursa had to leave. But she takes Zuko with her, and they travel to the South Pole, meeting a very interesting family. WARNING: Mentions of child abuse. I own nothing. Rated just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**First fanfic for Avatar: the last airbender. Be nice, and R&amp;R. And this is triggering, you have been warned**

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Zuko sobbed quietly as he looked down at his arms, covered in cuts, scrapes, bruises, all the injuries inflicted by his father.

"Poor Zuzu." Azula sneered. "Maybe if you were stronger, that wouldn't happen so often."

Zuko didn't bother to listen, he just kept his back to his sister and sobbed. "Even if I was stronger," he sniffed, "Dad would still do this. No matter how strong I am, I'm always weak in his eyes." He stood up and wiped his eyes. "Your lucky Azula, he loves you. I'm just his mistake."

"Zuko!" his mom Ursa snapped. "That's enough."

"Then why didn't you stop him when he did this?" he asked. "Why did you let him do this to me?"

Ursa sighed and walked over to her son, putting a hand on his bone-y shoulder. "I can't." she said. "I can't protect you, because he'll kill you if I try." She sniffed and tried to hide her tears as Zuko hugged her tightly and buried his face in her side.

"I'm sorry mom." he said.

"It's okay Zuko." she said. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

_"Zuko...Zuko wake up." _

"What?" Zuko slurred. He sat up slowly and lit a candle next to his bed with a snap of his fingers. "Mom? What's going on?"

"Pack your things." Ursa said. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Zuko didn't say anything else and packed his clothes, and his knife that his uncle Iroh had given him. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Somewhere safe." Ursa said. "Let's go."

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**R&amp;R. And I'll update more soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter. And I'm sorry if I didn't say this before, but Zuko is still a kid in this, he doesn't have his scar yet. Other than that R&amp;R.**

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The ship's horn was the thing that roused Zuko from his sleep; he was still covered in a cold sweat from a nightmare he had of his father beating him and his mother for leaving. "Mom?" he said, shaking his sleeping mother next to him.

"Yes Zuko, what is it?"

"Where are we going?"

"Where ever we want," Ursa yawned. "When the ship docks in the Earth Kingdom, we'll restock on supplies, from there, we're on our own." She hugged her near fragile child closer to her, he had become so skinny thanks to his father. "And Zuko."

"Yeah?" he mumbled, falling asleep against his mother's shoulder.

"When we get to where we are going, you cannot show that we are fire benders." she whispered. "Your father's armies have caused so much destruction, so much pain. They'll torture you worse than your father did."

"Doubt it." he muttered. "They can beat me all they want, but I'll heal quickly from that."

Ursa smiled and kissed her son's forehead. "Still," she whispered, "I don't want your father to find us. You have to hide your bending."

"Okay." he whispered. "I will."

* * *

"WHERE IS SHE!" Ozai yelled.

"Wh-Who?" Azula squeaked. As much as Ozai wouldn't lay a finger on her, seeing him like this scared her.

"Your mother, she shall pay for his betrayal."

"Father, you banished Mother and Zuko last night." Azula lied. "Remember?"

"No, I don't remember. Because it never happened." Ozai yelled, almost hitting his daughter. "Gather the troops, and tell them to scour the earth, I won't rest until they are found."

"Okay Father." Azula nodded.

* * *

When Zuko woke up again, he was on another ship with his head resting in his mom's lap, and his head was pounding. "Mom?" he mumbled.

"It's okay Zuko." she whispered.

"Head hurts." he muttered.

"It's okay." she repeated. "Just go back to sleep."

Zuko moaned and turned to his side, his abused muscles screaming at him as his mom ran her fingers through his hair.

They had already brought new clothes to get out of their Fire Nation ones, and Zuko was wearing a short-sleeved green shirt and brown pants; but now, he was wishing he had gotten one with longer sleeves, he could hear people whispering about his scars. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping to block out the voices soon as he fell asleep. But sleep couldn't come to him, he could still hear the voices, and when he did fall asleep, he would have awful nightmares about his father, making him bolt upright, gasping for breath as Ursa tried to calm him down.

"It's okay." she whispered. "It was only a dream Zuko."

Zuko could feel tears burning his eyes as he curled up next to her, burying his face in her shoulder as they slid down his cheeks. "Don't leave me." he sobbed.

"Zuko, you just had a bad dream." she said. "You're okay. And I won't leave you." She kissed him on the forehead as a toddler came over and pulled at his pant leg, and they could both see that she was blind.

"Hello there." Zuko cooed at the child as she patted his face and stuck a finger up his nose, making Ursa giggle as the toddler's parents came rushing over.

"I am so sorry." her father said.

"It's okay." Zuko said. The toddler grabbed at his bangs and pulled on them as Zuko yelped and tried to tickle her hand so she would let go.

"Toph, we don't pull on other people's hair." her mother said. "Little bandit."

Toph let go of Zuko's bangs and tantrumed, sending a pebble straight at Zuko's cheekbone.

_Toph, the blind bandit._ he thought as he looked at the pebble in his hand as she tantrumed. _Makes sense, she's a fighter. _He watched as the child screamed and laid back down, tying his hair back into a ponytail to keep it off his neck as the sun started to move behind a cloud.

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**R&amp;R.**


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